The mascot for the 2012 European soccer championship co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine has been officially unveiled: a pair of footballing brothers wearing the jerseys of each nation.
Critics might say that UEFA and its design company Warner Bros. have hardly displayed originality, because the mascot for Euro 2008, co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland, was twin brothers "Trix and Flix."
But love them or hate them, the spiky-haired pair will doubtless make a small fortune in memorabilia and associated sales for the 2012 organizers and Europe's ruling body.
The use and marketing of commercially-designed mascots at major football competitions began in 1966 for the World Cup held in England, who beat West Germany 4-2 in the final.
Flushed by that success, the "World Cup Willie" mascot proved an immediate hit and helped swell the coffers of the English Football Association, so it was inevitable that the innovation was here to stay.
But while Willie is acknowledged to be a creative masterpiece, particularly for its time, others have been panned by the critics.
CNN has compiled a football team's line-up of them to compare the best and the worst in our photo gallery.
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Subject: The mascot for the 2012 European soccer 
Tue Nov 30, 2010 1:15 am
